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Her name is Kelsey, she recently turned 7 and at some point last year a few grey hairs appeared above her eyes. In a few short months it moved down her face towards her snout but thats okay I don’t care. She leaves hair every where she goes but thats okay I’ll just clean it up, she’s the most loving animal I have ever known. She doesn’t care about my flaws, insecurities or shortcomings; her love for me is unconditional. We have driven thousands of miles together, climbed mountains, waded through the emotional turbulence of life only to discover brighter days and survived near death experiences. She’s a therapy dog that works with patients in hospitals and the best swimmer you’ve ever seen. She’s my best friend!

In late August I had the honor and privilege of shooting a feature for Lara Casey and the amazing women of Southern Wedding Magazine in Watercolor FL. The fall issue will be on newsstands soon so I figured I would share an outtake from that amazing weekend. It was a long day in the heat and our crew was spent by the time sunset came around. After wrapping for the day I had one more concept I wanted to pull off which is the image you see below. With the help of the amazingly talented Joy Thigpen, the sacrifice of our legs to about 1000 mosquitos and some fun running around in the pitch dark we came up with something pretty cool. Keep your eyes out for the fall edition of Southern Weddings, it’s going to be an amazing issue.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

I came across this image from a session and it made me think of The Crazy Ones campaign from Apple. If your not sure of what I’m talking about see the original advertisement here. Hands down, it’s one of my favorite advertisting spots ever. I’ve seen it countless times and I’m still inspired each and every time I watch it. I don’t remotely consider myself  Einstein or Picasso but I do consider myself “crazy” enough to go after the things that I’m passionate about in life. It’s not easy, I never expected it to be; there have been significant sacrifices in every aspect of my life and I expect many more.  It’s easy to get down on yourself when things don’t go your way or you lose something that had defined your existence previously but I consider it life’s initiation to the next level. Ground yourself in the faith that you are capable of accomplishing whatever you put your mind to. Surround yourself with those who truly believe in you, it doesn’t take many and NEVER look back.  Challenge the status quo, set yourself against the grain and hold on; the road is going to be a bumpy one but some of life’s greatest treasures are waiting on the other side.

We had driven around Iceland on The Ring Road and the only thing left on our agenda before heading home was a test shoot for Nick’s portfolio. Here are some of the behind the scene images and a video that I shot that day. Make sure you head over to his site to see the entire story which you can find here.  http://www.nickonken.com/Stories/IcelandHoppipolla/

Iceland Hoppipolla BTS from conk. on Vimeo.

We had no real plans, no idea where we would sleep, no GPS (actually used a real map) and hardly any idea of what to expect on our 8-day journey around Iceland’s Ring Road.  It’s an interesting approach to travel but it forces you to embrace the entire experience in a way that is raw and unscripted. I tend to think you learn more about yourself in those kinds of situations. Long story short we forged rivers, herded sheep, took pictures of epic landscapes, ate potato chips for dinner and slept in our car on occasion. Friends, I kid you not when I say this; Iceland is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

In many ways this trip marked a significant milestone in my life considering that just over a year ago I left everything I had ever known to pursue an entirely new career. A near death experience and the plague of complacency were two of the major reasons that I turned my back on corporate America for the unfamiliar and  uncertain world of photography. Since then I have had amazing opportunities to see and do things that before I could have only dreamed about.  At it’s core, life is a finite experience comprised of moments and opportunities which you choose to either embrace or ignore. For what it’s worth, seek out those opportunities in your own life, take risk that ultimately push you towards your potential.  It has been my experience that when you do there is always a moment, memory, picture or person waiting for you that equates to another piece in life’s puzzle. Here is a quote from Chris McCandless who you may know from the book/movie, Into The Wild. Consider it food for thought.

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” Chris McCandless

Click here to see the rest of my Iceland images.

What an amazing use of technology to spread awareness about cancer. It’s typical in professional cycling to see various messages painted on the road during the event but this takes it to a whole new level. During the 2009 Tour de France the Nike Chalkbot will chalk up to 100,000 messages on the roads throughout France. Sign up at wearyellow.com and submit your message and wait for it to be painted. At that point it take a picture record the location and notify you that it’s been done.  Watch the first video to get a better idea of what chalkbot is and then watch the second video to see how it works.